Wake-Up Call: Maclin Takes Center Stage

It is not totally clear when we will see Jeremy Maclin for the first time.

The soon-t0-be 26-year old says his straight-line speed is back to where it was before he tore the ACL in his right knee, but needs to add strength in his quad and improve his lateral movement. The OTAs begin on May 27 and the mandatory minicamp runs from June 17-19. Chip Kelly wouldn’t commit to the receiver being ready for these activities, but believes he will be 100 percent for training camp.

Whenever Maclin jumps into action, he will assume the role as the Eagles primary receiver for really the first time in his career. Maclin was chosen with the 19th overall pick in 2009 -- one year after the Eagles used a second-round selection on DeSean Jackson. They shared the field for the better part of four seasons and developed into one of the best receiving tandems in Eagles history, though the mercurial, home-run hitting Jackson slightly overshadowed the business-like Missouri product. Now Jackson is gone, and Maclin will be asked to play the lead.

Howie Roseman was asked if Maclin can be a true No. 1 wide receiver.

"Number one receiver...certainly there are franchise receivers in this league. I think those are unique guys -- not that we don't have one," said Roseman. "We're just looking for really good players who fit our scheme. We look at our skill position players as a group."

The Eagles were aggressive in their pursuits to re-up the six-year vet. They were reportedly seeking a multi-year deal, though Maclin -- knowing his value was down because of the knee injury -- successfully pushed for a one-year contract.

There has been some debate as to exactly what Kelly is looking for in a wide receiver. He offered some serious hints when discussing Maclin's value at the owners meetings in Orlando.

"He’s one of those guys that if we’re gonna to see a lot of man coverage, I think can do a really, really good job because he’s such a precise route-runner, has outstanding speed, is good after the catch. And so we’re excited to have him back," said Kelly.

Maclin has averaged 65 catches for north of 860 yards and seven touchdowns in his NFL career. He has yet to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. He was charged with nine drops in 2012, according to Pro Football Focus. The argument can certainly be made that his numbers will shoot up in Kelly's offense, just as they did for Jackson and Riley Cooper last season. And even if the Eagles take a receiver in the draft, as expected, Maclin will still be the alpha dog in 2014 and is likely to get the majority of the targets.

On the flip side, he is sure to garner more attention than ever without Jackson opposite him. Maclin did not sound very concerned when speaking with the media a day before Jackson's release.

"In the NFL, guys don’t get double-teamed in this league," Maclin said. "There’s one guy that gets double-teamed and that’s Calvin Johnson at the goal line. Guys don’t get double-teamed in this league. If you weren’t out there and you weren’t able to make plays, you wouldn’t be out there. To have him on the field and able to make plays is a plus for the offense, but at the same time, anybody that’s out there making plays is capable of doing so."

Comcast SportsNet talked with Maclin and Brandon Boykin at a charity basketball game about playing against Jackson next year.

"It's going to be exciting, especially for the Philly fanbase, and the city of Philadelphia," Maclin said. "But it's just another game, man, against a division opponent, [and] we want to dominate the division. We're looking forward to it, but I think the most important thing is just to approach it like it's any other game."

Gone is DeSean Jackson and in is a much cheaper replacement. Cooks can fly and he had 128 receptions last year. There will be a cry for defensive players at this spot and a case could be made for any of the remaining defensive guys left in the round.

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Niels

I’m starting to wonder if CK and the Eagles will try to go the Colts route from 10 years ago and, at the expense of the D, continually draft high for offense and dare teams to outscore them.

cliff henny

stop wondering, yes.

GEAGLE

Kelly will spend plenty of picks on the defense…he doesn’t have HIS defense in place yet…he wants above average size and length at every position…once we have a bunch of big, long,athletic bullies on the defensive side of the ball, he will stop dumping Assets into the defense….where as I think he will always try to add to his offense

cliff henny

think payroll is close to 70% on offense, sure over course of time it’ll get more inline since more offensive Vets and they get paid more, but resources are resources, money, picks, etc, get used to it being offensive slanted. no where am I saying he’ll ignore D, but he’s not planning on losing many 26-24 games, sure he thinks that loss was on offense.

oreofestar

I think he will try and get that one true playmaker on defense and then stack offense assuming we get an extra pick from Graham, Celek or Brown I say he uses 4 of his 7 picks on D and then next year only 2 of 7

anon

I don’t think we’re getting a playmaker on D, unless we find a stud OLB that can rush, stop the run and cover. I think we’d have to draft that guy b/c i don’t think we’d pay for him. Otherwise i think we want quality, just like on offense, at all positions.

I don’t think think we want “that guy” on offense either. Just high quality system fits at every position.

oreofestar

I think they are going to try and draft tha playmaker while on offense I think would rather ave 6 guys with 800 yards rather than a single all pro

Will

We need a kicker who won’t choke on 45-48 yard FG’s in a big game…

Warhound

Think Rams “Greatest Show on Turf”

cliff henny

hope the Wizard of OZ was his knee surgeon, along with new knee ligament gave him a heart. not sure who or what Kelly was watching when talking about ‘good after catch’. be really curious to see Kelly reaction when Mac makes business decision and self-tackles with 3 or 4 yards of open grass and couple defenders closing in.

NickS1

McAndrews is about the closest thing to Oz there is. Hope that helps ease your concerns.

it’s tough to know, because think a big percentage of what Kelly requires is fanatical commitment to football. better be ready to eat sleep walk talk crap football, or Kelly will find another crazy athletic freak that’s willing.

GEAGLE

Yup…I’m curious to see how they feel about our OL…if they like young players on our bench, OL pribably won’t be added before the 5th round…if we draft Su’a Filho early then Mathis and Herremans have been put on notice….
…
You can usually get some solid guards in like the 5th…with 100 Underclassmen I’m wondering if some of those quality guards you typically get in the 5th will fall to Undrafted status…

oreofestar

Yeah playing with Maclin in Madden is not as fun as Jackson though an that is all that matters

ODBorBustAllDay

Jeff Demps AllDay!

#7

Maclin disappears on me on Madden.

GEAGLE

Saint lost thei center and added Champ Baily lol…”wtf is that franchise doing?

cliff henny

didn’t they let starting guard go too? and LT who did lose starting job at end of season, like week 16. guess it’s all on Brees’ shoulders or more accurately, quick release arm.

oreofestar

they got Strief back though

cliff henny

it’s all about Brees, and getting that offense out of that damn dome. love another crack at them in Philly in ’14 playoffs.

oreofestar

Oh….yes I would love another one would be great Malcolm Jenkins gets interception immediately followed by 77 yard Sproles TD

http://www.corcommunity.com/ theycallmerob

their WR corps took huge hit, lost lance moore, meachem, sproles, not much beyond Colston (31 in june) and last year’s rookie Stills, and Graham. I see them stepping back.

UKEagle99

My mate is a Saints fan and their LT was being abused all season, the rookie they put in played much much better. He also complained that their centre was always being pushed back, at this point I think they’re theory is the replacements cannot be any worse.

cliff henny

ah, the Dallas defensive theory. yeah, it can get a lot worse really fast, get Brees injured.

Joe from Easton

In fairness I don’t think there is a team in the NFL with a marquee QB that wouldn’t be royally screwed if said QB went down.

Amar (India)

Except when they played the Eagles. Saw the highlights yesterday, still can’t believe how their O-Line manhandled our Defensive front 7. I guess front 6, since BillyD admitted to playing nickel most of the time.

Adam G

I don’t get it. Wasn’t he signed for the vet min?

http://www.corcommunity.com/ theycallmerob

I think their OL will be much worse this year. Brees under duress is not a good thing.
Glad they blew that money on Byrd. I think NFC-S will be the weakest division in conference by far, heck ATL may wrest back the title

A woman who died of a suspected drug overdose was found in a townhouse owned by Jim Irsay two weeks before his DUI arrest.

Much like Irsay, Kimberly Wundrum, 42, had a history of drug
problems. They were acquainted through Wundrum’s sister, Rhonda, who was
the Colts owner’s personal masseuse. The Indianapolis Star has
uncovered several documents that link them closely. There’s nothing
criminal here, but commissioner Roger Goodell is going to have a lot of
questions for Irsay when he considers how severely to punish him under
the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.

Making me think about that Richard Sherman article.

cliff henny

always fun to read delusional cowboy’s fanbase over it’s cap. pretty much done adding in ’14, in ’15 can cut Free, get them to 113m, so 30m under, that’s good right? except, that’s Dez, Tyrone Smith and Murray playing on rookie deals, and only 31 guys total from ’14s team (before this draft) on ’15s cap(cap is top 51 salaries). so now they have to fill 20 opening, maybe 15m available-cant wait to see those 3 exploding contracts. Romo could restructure again, that clears 10m more, still ,half of ’15s team will be cheap 5th rd or later to UDFA in rookie or 2nd yr, everyone is year older and barely added 1 of Howie’s batting average FA in 3 yrs…Jesus, what a mess. long live Jerry
.http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2014/4/6/5585728/dallas-cowboys-news-notes-cap-hell-downgraded-to-cap-purgatory#comments

anon

What’s the point of keeping an 8 and 8 team together anyway? Agree they are the height of dysfunction. It’s almost bad that our division is so silly make me feel like we are better than we are.

cliff henny

best part of all this is, by time they sign Dez, Smith and are reports looking at Murray, clear out mess that JJ created, Romo’s going to be so fried, they’ll be back to Qunicey Carter days.
.
hey, don’t see New England Patriots complaining about 11 out of 12 or whatever it is division titles, 8 Conf champ games, 5 SB games.

ODBorBustAllDay

Keep in mind the project cap escalation of $10M a season for the next few seasons. They’re gonna find their way out of purgatory eventually.

cliff henny

I have it in my numbers for next year, figured ’15 cap is 143m. sure, by ’17, if stay the course, should be decent shape. by then they’ve treaded water for 3 years while every team has been improving. also, by then, Romo is a shell of himself, and wish he played for any other team so I could like him, Witten is toast.
.
plus, cap goes up for everyone. all that means is contracts get 10% more expensive every yr. i’d argue Dallas is in worse situation because of increase, dallas has to mortgage future with their crazy exploding contracts to keep up teams like the Eagles who are signing 5 or 6 quality guys to provide depth.

ODBorBustAllDay

This would be a good year for them to draft romos heir apparent. AJ McCarron? Witten should hang it up. Terrance Williams is a nice 2 behind Dez. Who I can’t wait to see how his contract plays out. I dont expect any acrimony, they’ll probably just hand him the money. But you know he thinks he deserves what Calvin got 8y/$132. (Even tho there’s about $60M in there he’ll never see.)$53M-GRTD! So what’s Dez looking for? Should be fun.

cliff henny

doubt they will this year, JJ has said he sees drafting 2nd string qb waste of a pick. they rarely ever draft qbs. signed wheeton, too. JJ doesnt just have all his eggs in the Romo basket, he rented a flat bed and pulled into a chicken farm.
.
yeah, think both Dez and Smith will break the bank. Romo’s aging, just let Ware go, pretty hard not to pay the 2 legit young studs you have, plus JJ ego.
.
best part of follow the Dallas trainwreck is almost no matter what they do, it’s not making team better today, and future looks worse. they were really fortunate to stumble into Romo. could be rolling out quincey carter still.

travis papa

Here’s a question for you. What happens to the prorated dead money of a player’s contract if he chooses to retire early due to injury? Is that dead money accelerated into the retiring yr against that teams cap?

cliff henny

it’s like cutting a player. they take a hit. now, the team can ask for some of the bonus money back. not sure how Orton, assume that’s who are asking about, works, cause believe Dallas restructured him once. if he retires, they take a 3m dead money hit. think he was trying to hijack Dallas with Romo’s back into a new contract. they called his bluff.

travis papa

Actually I was thinking about Romo and Witten 2yrs from now with all dead money prorated down the road if they could get Dallas a get out of jail free card by retiring instead of being cut

cliff henny

ah, ok. yeah, thank god it doesn’t work like that. I had to dig a little when Orton was talking about retiring. have to watch JJ and those crazy deep pockets. get guys to retire, reduce dead money, and he hands them cushy 5m/yr office job for their troubles.

travis papa

Just overpaying them upfront and right now is as good a reason as any besides Witten and Romo would be in their late 30s anyway. Just wait and see Romo is ganna be Jason Garrett the 2nd once he retires. Pretty much guaranteed an HC position someday with that bromance

phillylove21

This draft could make or break our season, but i think Kelly absolutely knows what he’s looking for in his offense in this draft.. Getting him to draft defensive players that can contribute right now is going to be a sight to see.. I mean our first few picks were contributors or are good back ups.. I liked Wolff last year.. Wolff was hungry and wanted to seize the opportunity, but unfortunately he got hurt.. Kelly wants to be able to rotate his safeties as well.. Also a corner doesn’t sound too far fetched.. My thing is drafting a outside linebacker if Trent Cole is your million dollar man? Is he cut if we draft a outside linebacker who ended being worth a 1st,2nd, or 3rd round pick? Drafting a nickel linebacker would be a great pick and could also be the one to take over ryans middle linebacker spot (he isn’t worth a damn in coverage so let’s be honest) ..

He helped put together a pretty good program, recruiting prospects from all over the nation, and got them pretty far step by step.. Putting together a offense is something he eats 3x a day during the season.. There might be 2 wide receivers or 1 wide receiver and a tight end on there to do list.. Watching some of these receivers in this class that made a @$$ out of these top rated corners and safties really makes me think, are they able to step and play slot or a #2 receiving spot? Maclin always considered a #1 receiver don’t you think? So does this make cooper the #2 or slot when they pan out to be starting material? Benns is someone I think that will seize an opportunity as well ( and yes even coming from a acl injury).. This offense could get ugly but what about this damn defense?

I could do without Huff but I’m sure he’s on Chips radar. He’s a pedestrian. Rather take a chance on someone with a “can’t teach” attribute. Brandon Coleman at that same 4th round position is my guy at 6’6″ and mean as hell

ODBorBustAllDay

Maclin’s combine scouting report:

4.48 SEC

6’0″
HEIGHT
198LBS.

OVERVIEW
The definition of an impact player, Maclin was named an All-American as a receiver and returner in each of his two starting seasons in Columbia. A highly touted prep prospect who turned down Ohio State, Oklahoma and Notre Dame, among others, to sign with Missouri, Maclin appeared well on his way toward establishing himself as a starter as a true freshman before suffering a horrific knee injury.
His success a year later certainly proved his health. Maclin tallied 2,776 all-purpose yards, which was an NCAA Division I-A single-season freshman record, and was the fifth-most ever by any player in a season in Division I-A history. Had an arm span of 32 1/4 inches and a hand span of 9 1/4 inches at the combine.
With numbers like that, no one expected him to match his 2007 totals — and he didn’t. He exceeded them, generating 2,833 all-purpose yards in 2008.
After accumulating more than 5,600 all-purpose yards in two years, Maclin is a threat to score on every carry (scored six career rushing touchdowns), reception (22) or return (three punts, two kickoffs). His solid frame, elite speed and elusiveness are reminiscent of an early Joey Galloway, and could translate into a top 15 selection. Maclin was eligible to enter the draft this spring because he missed his true freshman season with a knee injury suffered in July practices. Had an arm span of 32 1/4 inches and a hand span of 9 1/4 inches at the combine.

ANALYSIS

POSITIVES: Tight-skinned athlete. Good overall musculature. Explosive straight-line speed and quickness out of his breaks. Agile. Can make defenders miss in tight quarters. Natural playmaker who is a threat to score —from any distance — on every snap. Versatile athlete who can make plays in the running, receiving or return games. Natural pass catcher. Good body control to contort in space and make the spectacular reception. High-points passes and is an explosive leaper. High effort player. Courageous over the middle. Blocks downfield. Showed mental toughness in returning after a horrific knee injury in 2006.
NEGATIVES: Still developing as a route-runner. Relies on his athletic ability at this point, and doesn’t explode out of his cuts as well as he could. Will takes his eyes off the ball, on occasion, to prepare to make the defender miss, and drop the ball. Production inflated due to his role and the presence of other playmakers in this offense. Requires a medical check on his knee.

anon

They say college grades don’t matter after you get your first job. I think we understand what MAC is at this point — we’ll see if he can really shine in the CK system, i hope he has his best year ever — there’s a lot on his shoulders.

ODBorBustAllDay

I don’t think we have any idea what he is in his first year back after a 2nd ACL surgery. Optimism is great but realistically we have no clue

Kev_H

We have some idea, since he wasn’t under contract and the team, who has been monitoring his recovery and rehab closely, offered him a 4 year contract. Better yet, we know how he feels about it since he turned the 4 year deal down. So, knowing that those closest to the situation and the player himself are positive enough to put significant money behind their optimism gives me an idea that he should be solid this year. Money talks…

Not quite the deep threat that Jackson is obviously, but he finds the end zone as often and makes more catches. I wouldn’t exactly say that he hasn’t shown anything especially when you consider he was the #2 to the aforementioned Jackson during those years.

#7

He has his chance this year. Every offense would like to have someone to take the top of the defense. We don’t have that right now

Foles2Sproles

I think I nailed it. I would consider the off season a great success if the Eagles had a draft like this.

Latimer in the 6th round isn’t happening. Just sayin. Try 3-4, 5 at the absolute latest. And even that’s a stretch I feel like when you look at his pro day, and consider that he’s still not 100% back from a foot injury.

Guest

Thanks. I spit up my coffee.

oreofestar

I think Lattimore is a fourth rounder I really like him, just flip on that Michigan St. tape and watch him beat up Dennard who is probably a 1st rounder

cliff henny

no offense till 6th round, i’m nauseous…and better yet, where do you have Kelly bound and gagged?

GEAGLE

Not sure we will take a safety in the first two rounds…Buchanon IMO has to fall to the 3rd for us to give him some serious thought..
…
Switch Anthony Johnson for Deandre Coleman

http://www.corcommunity.com/ theycallmerob

if we go from 6—>9 picks, it’s a miracle. I don’t care who is selected

What I’d do to live a single hour in this fantasy world where Mike Evans is around at Pick 22. I’ll bet there’s a Cheesesteak Tree on every block, right next to a yuengling bush.

I’ll go out on a limb with my prediction. …..Mike Evans gets drafted BEFORE Sammy Watkins! Chips probably not the only one who thinks Big People Beat Up Little People.

myeaglescantwin

“THE DEEPEST WR DRAFT IN YEARS” why then would a team jump through hoops to get a WR in round 1. Deep means players can be had throughout the draft. Meaning you better get the OLB / S in the tops of the draft, because WR can wait..

EaglesFanInPhx

More startable wrs for sure than most drafts, but if there is a guy you think will be a stud you still have to spend a 1st rounder.

myeaglescantwin

true story.

falls into the BPA angle. I tell ya, i wouldn’t bitch if Cooks was selected there. His production was insane. Little undersized, but damn, dude can ball.

Joe from Easton

I don’t think anyone would bitch, but it would make me wonder about Chip’s “big people beat up little people” mantra. I personally think the biggest reason Jackson is gone is because he’s not the type of player Chipper wants. If he drafts a player very similar to DeSean then the only angle that makes sense in terms of the DeSean’s being cut is the money angle.

myeaglescantwin

ture story again.

but i’d point to 5’10 195,, vs 5’10 165.
makes a big difference. + notice his receptions per game. It’s around 10, so they can’t all be deep bombs. He makes some tough catches.

Chris Jones

Maclin isn’t that great he’s a little above average and cooper is terrible. We really need a steal of a receiver in this draft. I would be happy to have cooks, Matthews, or beckham.

Joe from Easton

Who would be your definition of an average receiver? When I think of average I don’t think of a solid #1 or better, more like a fair #2 to an excellent #3. By my definition Maclin is solidly above average. It’s debatable though depending on your context for the word average.

Cooper is terrible though? 17.8 YPC and 8 TD? Terrible? This makes me question what you think is average.

Kev_H

I really like Cooks, but I don’t see him being on the Eagles’ radar, at least not as a first round pick. Small guy, small hands, not a strong blocker…I think he’s quicker, more elusive, and a more powerful/strong runner than Jackson, but Kelly seems to ideally want bigger, more versatile guys at WR. I’m betting whoever they pick in the first round (assuming they don’t trade out of it) is much closer to the ideal, whatever the position.

#7

Maclin is soft to me, but I really hope that he can make a statement this year. It’s his show now at WR

Joe from Easton

I would agree to an extent. I’ve certainly had my fair share of jump-off-the-couch moments in which he goes down without being touched. Really though, was Jackson any better? The only difference was Maclin making his catches in the middle of the field and electing not to get hit vs. Jax making catches down the sideline and running out of bounds. Self-preservation is part of the game to an extent and with the game on the line I think he’ll take the hit if needed.

Warhound

Yeah, if you’ve already picked up 17 yards on 3rd and 12 is it worthwhile to take punishment for two or three more yards?

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